NEW ORLEANS (AP) — One of the critically endangered gorillas in New Orleans’ zoo is expecting her first baby, and already is being trained with a “doll” to hold her future offspring.
The Audubon Zoo’s chief veterinarian, Robert McLean, said Monday that the training doll doesn’t look anything like a gorilla, because a stuffed toy could easily be torn apart.
Rather, it’s a section of canvas firehose tubing woven to about size of a 4-pound newborn gorilla.
The due date is sometime between July 15 and Aug. 20, and veterinarians don’t know the baby’s sex.